iNeed A Break
by lovethispain
Summary: Post iLY. One shot in which Sam and Freddie get their happy ending. 8 Months later.


A fic in which Sam and Freddie get their happy ending. I can't write their characterization like at all. But I need them to have a happy ending and I'm super impatient, so I present a ridiculous one shot. Post iLY.

- I do not own these characters, they belong to Dan Schneider.

iNeed A Break

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Carly drags her feet across the concrete tiles leaning on the orange shopping cart in front of her.

"So we need some bungie chords and the little hammers, and we can't forget the gorilla glue or Spencer won't be able to finish his sculpture. And we need those little worker aprons and we have to go to Hobby Jobs after we get done here so we can get some more paint, or I guess we could use spray paint but the last time we did that I ruined my shoes, but then I guess it's really my fault for wearing shoes while spray painting in the first place." She grips the shopping cart and looks up looking for the aisle that she needs and glances to her right expecting to find her best friend.

Are you listening to me at all?" She huffs out irritated because he was standing in the middle of the aisle on his phone. He doesn't hear her or acts like he doesn't because he doesn't respond. She rolls her eyes and wishes her other best friend was with them. Then she wouldn't be being ignored. Her phone dings and she pulls it out of her back pocket. She smiles at her text message from said best friend and continues on her way, placing her phone in her purse. She makes it a good 20 feet before Freddie catches up with her. He still has his phone, and he's still distracted but at least he's walking with her now. She hates big warehouse stores since it's so easy to get lost in them. Usually Spencer is the one who makes this trek for her but he has a sculpture deadline and he tends to get lost in these stores for hours which would take time away from his sculpture. It was only her promise of extra glue that got him to stay home.

Freddie sighs dramatically beside her and puts his phone in his pocket. "What else do we need?" He asks grabbing the list from the shopping cart. Nothing is checked off but there are things in the shopping cart. He rolls his eyes at this because it's typical Carly to make a list and forget about it. She always gets distracted by the guys in this place. ALWAYS. He thinks that's probably why she wants to come in the first place. He watches as she ventures off to ask one of the employees a question, or more likely flirt openly because that's what she tends to do with the guys that work in this place. His phone vibrates and he's filled with hope until he pulls it out of his pocket only to learn that it's a text from his mom informing him that she is working a double to cover for someone. He lets his finger glide to her name and tries again for what seems like the millionth time in three days to get her to talk to him.

"They have the good bacon on sale at Calbertsons :P." He finishes it with a smiley in hopes that he will get some kind of response from her. It's been three days since she has said anything to him. He would worry if he wasn't absolutely certain that she was fine. Carly had said something about how she was doing some kind of intervention with her mom and she couldn't be bothered, and how she had hardly text her either and not to worry because it was just Sam being Sam. He had no reason to worry. Not really, he knew that, but it didn't mean that he didn't miss her.

They had broken up eight months prior and after a week of awkwardness there had been some kind of unspoken agreement that they would spend as much time as possible together as they could. Because they were just keeping the friendship in tact. The days that they weren't together they spent texting and talking throughout the day. Last month he had to go to Portland for his cousins hair school graduation and he had spent the entire trip being reprimanded by his mother to put his phone away. She had joked that it seemed like he had a girlfriend again, but after explanations about iCarly and Gibby and Carly she had stopped her inquisition. He never said Sam's name around his mom. His mom had blamed Sam for their break up and his broken heart. He didn't try and explain that the broken heartedness has been mutual and a decision they made together because he didn't want to hear his mom tear Sam down even more, so he let her think what she wanted to think. He let the idea that she was mad at him yet again fill his mind but he couldn't come up with a valid reason why she would be. But then it was Sam and did she really need a reason to do anything that she did. He watches as Carly does her hair flip and smile move that at one point and time would have had him green with envy at just the thought but watching her now he feels nothing but some kind of annoyance towards the world today, Carly included. He's broken out of his reverie by Carly's phone dinging to indicate an incoming text message. He glances down at the device and sees that it's a new text message from Sam. He puts in Carly's unlock code and reads the message.

"Bring some bacon from Calbertsons, the good kind and some chocolate chip ice cream when you come." Freddie's heart sinks as he rereads the message. He holds the phone in his hand frozen. So there is something up. He had known there was, when she didn't answer his text message number three on the first day of this whole ignoring him thing. He had no proof only his gut feeling to go on, but considering she was blatantly ignoring him now he had his proof. He had tried to tell himself that her phone was dead, that her mom was keeping her too busy for her to keep in touch with him. That there had to be a real reason that she had just dropped out of his world without a word. The last text message from her read Night Nub. :) And then she was gone. Okay so maybe that's a little dramatic for three days but this is the longest he's gone without talking to her in possibly years and he doesn't like it. He doesn't want to get mad at her but he's finding it increasingly difficult not to.

"Can I have my phone back?" Carly is looking at him disapprovingly, her hand out for him to give her the phone back. He places it in her hand. "What's up with Sam?" He bites out a little more harshly than he should have. He has only slightly broached the subject with her up until than but it's clear that she is completely ignoring him now. He has his proof and it makes him want to punch things or have an intense fencing duel with someone.

"You shouldn't have read my text messages." She ignores his question.

Her words register with him and he wants to hit himself in the head for not reading more of them. He only read the one.

"I only read one." He defends himself. "And you didn't answer my question." His tone is irritated and he has to force himself to take a deep breath.

"Is she okay? I mean she won't talk to me and she's obviously avoiding me now."

Carly smiles sadly at him. "Sam's fine Freddie she's just had a lot going on with her mom, don't be mad at her."

"Are you having a sleepover tonight?"

"Yeah we're having a girls night." She grabs ahold of the shopping cart and veers down an aisle aimlessly.

He walks behind her quietly. He wants to ask why they aren't having the girls night at her apartment but he knows the answer and confirmation isn't something he wants. Not when it's just further proof that for the time being the love of his life wants nothing to do with him. He's quiet as she veers down multiple aisles throwing things at random into the cart. His phone vibrates and when he sees that it's a text message from Sarah he rolls his eyes and doesn't bother to put in his code or read the message. She wasn't who he wanted to be texting him right now.

They are in line to check out after another half hour worth of roaming around the store before he says anything else. "So when are you going over there?"

Carly signs the pinpad and puts her brother's credit card back into her wallet, places her wallet in her purse and grabs the shopping cart with now bagged goods in it before answering him. "I was planning on around seven, we're having a movie marathon, two chick flicks and two horror movies." She sees the look on Freddie's face and sighs. "Maybe you could go talk to her before I go over there." She knows that Sam's going to kill her for even suggesting it but Carly's tolerance for Sam was lessening. Carly got it, she really did, and she even understood why Sam thought she needed to, but between Freddie's moping around her apartment and the constant texting with Sam, Carly felt like she needed to intervene, and so be it if she didn't actually end up at Sam's that night. She could call the guy she had just met. A win win for all.

.

Freddie was still unsure of what he was doing showing up unannounced at her house, but there he was, standing outside her front door with a bag of bacon from the supermarket and a gallon of chocolate chip ice cream. He rings the doorbell before remembering it's broken and knocks loudly instead. After a minute or so the door swings open to reveal Sam's mom in a shirt that looks three sizes too small, short shorts and boots that go above the knee. Freddie has to stop himself from visibly shuddering at the sight of the amazon like creature that Sam calls her mom, sometimes. He's been here enough to know that there is no way to tell who's going to answer the door but to always be ready to cover his eyes.

"Hey Freddie,whatcha got in the bag?" His mouth opens at the question And then closes as she grabs it out of his hand and starts walking towards the kitchen, grabbing both the bacon and the ice cream from the bag and leaving the plastic on the floor. She throws the bacon on the countertop and grabs a fork from the drawer before popping off the lid to the ice cream. She puts an abnormally large portion in her mouth. "Yo a good kid fweddie." She says with her mouth full of ice cream and he can't help but smile at how similar she is to her daughter or maybe it's how similar her daughter is to her. She swallows her mouthful of ice cream and puts the lid back on and puts the bacon in the refrigerator. "I'll save this for Sam." She pats him on the back, winks at him and shuffles off towards her bedroom leaving him in the kitchen by himself. He takes a deep breath and turns back towards the living room to make his way to Sam's room. He doesn't know what he's going to say or if she's even there but then why would she let him in if Sam wasn't there?

He stands outside her door for a few seconds before knocking. He's been there now too many times to count, falling asleep on her bed or floor has become somewhat of a normal thing but this didn't happen until after they broke up which is just one of the many anomalies that he doesn't understand. He knocks again when no one answers the door and he hears nothing from inside the room. Maybe she really is gone. He glances around the hall before turning the knob on her door. It opens and he stands just inside the doorway as his eyes take in Sam on her bed. She has on shorts that leave little to the imagination. And his hoodie is riding up her figure, exposing some of her lower back. She lays on her stomach, her feet in flip flops that she keeps clacking together, headphones connected to her laptop completely oblivious to the boy who is now standing at the foot of her bed. He notices how clean it is and wonders if it's ever been that clean before. You can actually see her floor and the hamper that's usually full and overflowing is empty. There is no apparent food anywhere that he can see and it smells like febreeze instead of bacon and her vanilla body spray. He watches her as she watches, he tilts his head to get a better look at her computer screen. Is that the Lion King? He laughs at this but she doesn't hear him. He allows his boy brain to take over long enough to look her up and down a few times and then shakes himself out of his reverie. He grabs her toe and jumps back for fear of being kicked. She turns her head to look behind her and he can't help be disappointed by her frown.

She takes the headphones out of her ears and closes her laptop quickly, places it on the floors in one swift motions she turns around pulling his sweater down with her, she crosses her legs indian style and covers herself with a pillow.

"What's up nub?" She grabs for the remote to her stereo on her bedside table and turns it on just for lack of something to do. He's staring at her, so intently and she's in his stupid sweater and he's not even suppose to know she has it. But now he does and he's not saying anything. He just keeps looking at her and she wants to throw something at him to make him stop.

"What are you doing here Fredifer?" She tries to come off irritated but she's kind of glad he's there because she hasn't seen him in over 72 hours. Not that she's counting or anything.

He still doesn't say anything but he sits down on the edge of her bed. He stares off obviously lost in his thoughts and she stretches out her foot to nudge him in the leg with her foot. He lets a half smile grace his face before finally meeting her eyes.

"What's up Sam?" He doesn't break eye contact until she does. She gives him a confused expression and shrugs. "I don't know? What's up?" She throws the question back on him and he rolls his eyes at her.

"Why are you ignoring me or avoiding me or whatever you want to call not answering text messages or phone calls?" He waits for what she's sure is some kind of bulletproof excuse about how her phone is broken or dead or something along the lines of that. She doesn't disappoint him.

"My phone-"

"Is in enough working condition for you to answer Carly's text messages but not mine?" He finishes annoyed. He stands up and runs his hands through his hair.

She opens her mouth to say something but closes it soon after. She sighs and falls back on her back and closes her eyes. Maybe if she just stays there with her eyes closed he'll disappear and she won't have to explain herself. He's quiet but she hears his feet shuffle on the carpet and when she feels his weight on the bed a few seconds later, she knows he's not going anywhere without some kind of explanation.

"Scoot Over." She doesn't open her eyes but she shifts to the left of her bed and he sighs when he lays down next to her. He stares up at the ceiling hoping the words he needs to get her to talk will just magically appear there for him to read them off. He sighs after a few minutes of silence.

"I thought we were suppose to be friends now." His voice sounds a little hurt and she closes her eyes tighter.

"We are." Her voice doesn't sound like her own and she wishes she could know where this conversation is going. But more than that she wants him to just leave her in peace, so she can finish watching the Lion King and be alone.

"I've just had a lot going on …" She doesn't want to explain everything. And the frustration in his silence is coming off him in waves. "Look, I'm sorry okay, I just… my mom's been going through another break up but this time it wasn't really her doing, so she's kind of needed me, and I've just been hanging out here." She leans over to grab her phone from her bedside table. He's still laying there with his eyes closed and she thinks maybe he's falling asleep. She touches the screen to turn it on and scrolls to her text messages. She reads his last text message and opens it to reply to him.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" His voice is quiet but there's something more to it.

"Yeah Freddork, I'm sure, now lets go get some of that bacon from the store and I can cook breakfast and you can watch me eat." She hopes it's enough to get him up off of her bed but he doesn't move. She throws her phone on the bean bag by her bed and gets up. She stands on his side of the bed and she pokes his stomach repeatedly he finally opens his eyes after the fifth poke and grabs her finger. She shivers when he touches her but he doesn't let go of her finger.

"You might wanna let go before I break your arm." She glares at him and he smirks at her, successfully sending butterflies into her stomach. She tries to sound threatening but her voice fails her and she sounds happier than she intended to. His eyes meet hers and the atmosphere changes. She pulls her finger away from him and heads towards the door needing to get her space. Being around him constantly for the last eight months had only served to complicate her feelings for him. She was in love with the guy and having to be around him constantly was a good thing and a bad thing because she hadn't lost her best friend with the break up… if anything they had grown much closer since breaking up but it's not like it made it easy to be in close proximity to him without ya know… wanting to jump him. All he had to do was smile at her or raise one of his eyebrows and she was pretty much willing to do anything for him. Luckily for her, he hadn't figured this out.

He watches her from his spot on her bed, a bed that he had been in far too many times to really be considered just a friend. Even if there was never any cuddling, there was plenty of close contact with the blonde. He wonders if she will notice how short her shorts are or if she remembers that she is wearing his hoodie. He raises one side of his mouth in a smile He notices her toes are painted a light shade of pink and that causes a full blown smile to appear on his face because she's such a contradiction. She can knock anyone, and by anyone, he literally means anyone, out with just one punch but she is obsessed with her hair, and she always smells so girly, and her toes are always painted because "naked toes are gross", which is one of the many things he had learned about her since their break up. She stares back at him challengingly waiting for him to get up so they can go get bacon from a store he has already been to and to just forget this whole avoidance thing so they can go back to being how they were three days ago.

He sits up but doesn't get off of her bed. He watches her as she fiddles with the strings on his sweater while looking down. Her hair is falling out of it's pony tail and she looks almost shy. Something Freddie learned when they were together actually happened a lot more often than not. It was usually, almost always in the confines of his bedroom or on the Shay couch when no one was around but him. It was only made more evident when he started spending so much time with her in her home. She likes to act tough and when she needs to be and sometimes when she doesn't she is, but it was during their first kiss after she got out of Troubled Waters that he realized just how much he didn't know Samantha Puckett. She was shy and tentative and almost afraid to kiss him, which had surprised him because he was sure that after her kissing him at the lock in she would always be in control. He was proven wrong and had initiated almost every kiss after that. She sighs and he can tell she's getting frustrated, because after all they are suppose to be going to go buy her bacon which he's sure he's paying for, but he already paid for it and she looks adorable standing in her doorway.

"Seriously Freddie, lets go, they close at 8 and it's like 6:30 or something."

"I already bought you some, it's in your refrigerator." She's out the door and headed towards the kitchen before he had a chance to get up off of the bed. He could let it go for now but he didn't believe her. He knew her, he knew her better than sometimes even Carly knew her, and he knew there was more to it. He walked to the kitchen to see her already frying the bacon and stirring her eggs in a measuring cup. Maybe she would share with him.

.

It was two hours later and both were full from eating. They were lounged out on the couch flipping through the channels for something to watch. Sam had cancelled her sleepover with Carly to spend more time with Freddie. Carly had all but done a dance over the phone. Sam figured she had been relying on Carly a lot the last three days and she deserved a break from Sam's moaning and groaning about her need for space from Freddie. She had spent all three days talking about how she just needed a break from him, yet all she could talk about was him. When Carly had pointed this out Sam had told her to shut up, and so she did. Freddie hadn't pushed the avoidance thing but she wasn't sure he had completely let it go either. Knowing him he would bring it up again later, she was just hoping that later meant much later and not soon later. The fact that she still had on her shorts didn't go unnoticed. She couldn't help but smile when she caught him staring at her legs, which had happened more than a few times. They were in the middle of the couch but they weren't touching.

He settles on some made for tv movie and she doesn't complain, because they aren't watching it to watch they are watching to point out the bad acting and the "horrendous editing". Freddie spends the time watching criticizing the camera angles chosen and the editing, while Sam makes fun of the actors and the predictable plot. It's become somewhat of a tradition to do so without really agreeing that it's a tradition. This particular one hits a little close to home, what with there being a trio of friends, two girls and one boy. The boy is into one girl, the other girl is into the boy. Then enters another boy that the first girl likes but he likes the other girl and Sam is clear on where this ends.

"This is so stupid, because everyone knows that the friend boy is going to end up with the girl he wants. It always happens that way." She huffs out irritated.

"No you're not watching the same thing I am, the friend boy is going to end up with the girl who wants him, it's obvious Sam." He throws back at her challengingly.

"No because something's gonna happen to open the first girls eyes and she's gonna be all, Oh Chad I'm sorry I was so stupid, you are the love of my life." She raises her voice and speaks in a fake southern accent to make fun of the girl.

"No. No no no. The friend boy as you call him, is going to open his eyes because the other guy is into the girl that he sees as just a friend, I've watched enough of these flicks to know what happens in the end."

"But that's not how it happens in real life." She says it under her breath but he catches it and suddenly he has to know what she means.

"What do you mean?" He nudges her arm with his.

"Nothing, forget it. This movie is so stupid though."

He doesn't say anything for the next four minutes or so but Sam hopes it's because he's watching the movie. She feels his eyes on her but ignores him.

"Why were you really avoiding me?" She lets out an irritated breath and turns to him.

"Fredpuss I told you, my mom got dumped, she needed me, I was here, do you want there to be some other explanation?"

He grimaces at her tone.

"I just don't get why you kept in touch with Carly though, why you couldn't just say hey I'm helping my mom, can I get back to you later? Ya know something to let me know you were ALIVE." His voice raises at the last word and he automatically feels guilty when she looks down.

"Look I already said I was sorry, can we just forget about it?"

"Is this about Sarah." She laughs in his face again and he lets his head fall back in frustration.

"I really don't care what you do with Sarah Seymour." She bites back what she really wanted to call her and trains her eyes on the television.

She rolls her eyes at the television because Freddie was right about the plot, and she really hates to be wrong.

"Why were you avoiding me?" He says each word slowly like she's a two year old and she doesn't think about it before her hand comes into contact with his cheek hard.

He stares at her, his mouth hanging open, because it's the first time she's slapped him in a really long time. Her hands cover her mouth in shock. She leans back against the couch and takes a deep breath.

"I just, I needed a break from you for a little bit." Her words hit him hard and he stands up ready to leave. He glances down at her and sees that she's staring off into space in a daze.

"Can I have my sweater back?" She blinks at his words and tears fall down her face.

She starts to grab for one of her sleeves but he stops her placing a hand on her arm.

"Why did you need a break from me?" He sounds hurt and she wishes she could take it back so they could go back to making fun of the movie.

She doesn't answer, she just stares off as a few more tears fall down her face. He sits down next to her again.

"Sam?" He questions her as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her towards him.

"Freddie we've spent every single day together or together through text messages for eight months now." She leans into him and he interlocks his fingers around her small frame,

"So?" He wonders aloud but he doesn't really care what her answer is because she is in his arms again, and he feels like he's floating because of it.

"So… we broke up." She lifts her head off his chest to look into his eyes. He brushes the hair out of her face and slides it behind her ear.

"And?" He asks his eyes never leaving her face. She looks down and sighs.

"And… that's not normal! We've spent more time together than we did when we were actually together." He chuckles at her words.

"Sam, have we ever been normal?" He smiles at her and she can feel his breath on her face.

"Think about it, you only told me how you felt because of a computer application, and then I told you how I felt when you were in a mental hospital, Does any of this sound normal? Oh and let's not forget the three dates we brought Carly with us to chaperone. Sam none of that is normal, we are not normal."

"But you said if I get a little more normal-"

"You had just told me you wanted to break up with me what was I suppose to say?"

"No, you broke up with me, don't put this on me." She pushed away from him and stood.

"No, it was mutual, I even said but it's mutual right? And you said yeah!." His voice was raised and he stood up also.

"And… and you're the one who asked if we had just broken up in the first place. You suggested it Sam, not me, I wasn't the one who wanted to break up but you suggested it and I thought… I thought you didn't really want to be my girlfriend anymore, and that… was horrible." He took a deep breath before continuing, lowering his voice.

"That sucked so bad because I wanted to be with you so bad but you didn't want to be with me, so who was I to make it difficult for us? Things couldn't be weird. I thought I was giving you what you wanted Sam. When you kissed me in the elevator I got a tiny shred of hope that maybe you didn't really want to end things… so after that night the first opportunity I got the chance to be around you I took it, and every single one of those after that, I'm … I'm sorry if you need a break from me."

He shook his head and was making his way to the door, he couldn't get away from her fast enough. He had made it out the front door before she stopped him by grabbing at his arm.

"Freddie wait." Her voice was timid and she had tears in her eyes.

"Look I get it, you need your space, I'll call you later or something."

"Freddie just come back in and we can talk, please don't leave," Her voice was pleading to her own ears so she hoped it had some affect on the boy in front of her.

He sighed and walked past her into her house. She smiled before following him back in.

He was sitting on the couch when she joined him sitting in his lap. Her legs facing the opposite side of the couch. His eyes grew wide when she leaned her head towards his. Their foreheads touching, she was staring into his eyes. She can't help the smile that spreads across her face and it grows bigger when his face breaks out into a similar one.

"So…" He questions as he runs his hands up her sides.

"So…" She smiles again.

"I've missed this." He states. He closes his eyes and revels in the feel of her breath on his face.

"We're kind of stupid." He laughs at this and her face grows serious at his laughter.

"What's up with you and Sarah?" She runs her hands up and down his arms as she looks down after she says this.

He tilts her chin up towards him with his first finger and she meets his eyes.

"She's a girl who happens to be my lab partner that has a crush on me, She hangs out at my locker to ask me stupid irrelevant questions and shoot daggers at you with her eyes. There's nothing going on with her, I only brought her up because Carly said you were jealous of her. Which was kind of mean and I'm sorry for."

"You promise?" She puts his face in her hands.

He leans down and kisses her then, it's the first time in forever and he can't stop the smile that breaks out when she kisses him back.

He pulls away, a few minutes later. "Yes I promise."

She leans in to kiss him again but he stops her."Wait."

He laughs at the pout that forms on her face at his words.

"What now?"

"Are we getting back together now or…?"

"I thought that was clear enough what with all the kissing…" She shrugs her shoulders at him.

"I love you Samantha Puckett." He smiles at her before leaning in to capture her lips in his again. She sighs contentedly into the kiss. But breaks away before he can deepen it.

"Freddie I'm probably only gonna say this once so you should probably listen closely and I will probably deny ever saying it so.. anyways. You are my best friend and as much as I love you and i want to be with you,.. she trails off and his heart sinks at her words.

"What Sam?" His voice is weak to even his ears.

"I just… Freddie I can't lose you, and I know how stupid that sounds right now because we're all oh I love you, and you're the most important thing in my world, but really Freddie, I need you. Probably more than you need me and this is just really scary, and it scares me how much I love you." She mumbles the last part and he lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

She lets her head fall in between his shoulder and neck.

"Sam look at me." She complies with his request and lifts her head so that she can see his eyes again.

"You aren't gonna lose me, and no matter how bad this gets, because you are Sam and I am Freddie and there are bound to be some pretty major fights down the road, the one thing I need you to hang onto is that if you want me, I'm yours. I'm pretty sure I have been since we kissed on the fire escape, it just took me a little while to figure it out. But I'm not going anywhere, I love you okay?"

She nodded than. "Okay enough with the dramatics, can we please make out now?" She doesn't wait for his response, instead she dives into his lips once more.

.

Reviews will make me happy but aren't necessary considering I wrote this for me more than anything. This hasn't been beta'd so if there's a mix up of your and you're or any other grammatical errors I apologize. Thanks for reading. :P


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